Volume Twenty-Three Manga Summary

[Hiro Onoyuga]

Chapter 200: "According to Plan...!!" – Sakon unleashes multiple strikes onto Shikamaru and Kiba, but they poof away to reveal Naruto forming Rasengan. Before he can realize it, hands from nowhere are holding his arms. Just then Kiba comes spinning through this Naruto, Sakon avoids the hit but Kiba continues on directly for Tayuya. She is held fast by Shikamaru's Kage Mane, Kiba grabs the container and jump away. An enraged Sakon jumps to lend help but Tayuya steps in his path and they collide. Kiba throw the container to Naruto and Sakon activates his level one seal and chases after them. Akamaru sets an explosive trap but can not get away in time, Kiba jumps to save him but all three are sent flying over a cliff into the gorge below. Tayuya begins to charge and Shikamaru tells Naruto to go on, but before they can move a new opponent drops in to land on the container sitting beside Naruto and Shikamaru...




Uchiha Sasuke

Chapter 201: "Miscalculation...!!" – Kimimaro easily grabs and moves away with the container. Kimimaro asks where the others are and Tayuya is surprised by Kimimaro's resilience. Naruto gets enraged when Kimimaro says Sasuke is for Orochimaru. Naruto charges and Tayuya easily knocks him away. Kimimaro directs her to take the two Leaf ninja out and then he leaves with the container. Tayuya pulls out a flute and Shikamaru lays out his strategy to Naruto. The two yell and charge to take on Tayuya, but Naruto continues on after Kimimaro to Tayuya's embarrassed surprise. Shikamaru tries to capture Tayuya but she jumps away and the two square off for battle. Naruto travels on and begins to turn feral from Kyuubi. At Orochimaru's compound Kabuto and Orochimaru discuss Kimimaro's obedience to Orochimaru. They discuss how he is the heir to a powerful clan and that his illness hindered their destruction of Konoha. Kimimaro emerges into a field with the container, as he stops Naruto jumps in from the tree line to stop his flight.




Kimimaro

Chapter 202: "The Three Wishes!!" – Naruto demands to know why Orochimaru wants Sasuke, and he replies that Orochimaru wants to gain knowledge of all the jutsu in the world, and he needs a vessel to do so. Naruto says he won't let that happen forms the Kage Bunshin hand seal. Elsewhere Tayuya mocks Shikamaru for losing his teammates, but Shikamaru shrugs it off stating even though it wasn't wise, he trusts them. In the gorge Kiba moves to strike but gets knocked mysteriously back. He and Akamaru then move to strike from both sides with Gatsuuga. Elsewhere Tayuya has summoned ghostly beings. In the gorge an upper body has emerged from Sakon's back, with both sets now holding onto Kiba and Akamaru. At the compound Orochimaru and Kabuto talk of the Sound Four's personalities, and how Sakon is the strongest and how Kimimaro will clean up the rest. In the field, and amused Kimimaro looks around himself to see hundreds of Narutos ready to fight.'s ready to fight.




Uzumaki Naruto

Chapter 203: "Sakon's Secret" – Kimimaro extends bone spikes from his palms and the Naruto Bunshin rush in. In the gorge Kiba is punched multiple times and then pinned. Sakon gloats how his older brother can enter his body and extend himself at will. The duo enter level one and then Ukon, the older brother extends an arm, leg and head and they enter level two. Akamaru tells Kiba their chakra jumped ten-fold and states they must use "that" technique. Kiba declines but Akamaru convinces his stubborn master. In the forest Tayuya enters level one and plays a tune to control her ghostly oni. The beasts begin attacking Shikamaru. In the gorge Kiba holds the brothers while Akamaru spins through the air emitting urine onto them. Temporarily blinding them, Kiba jumps and the two Henge into a slobbering two-headed wolf called Soutourou. The beast jumps and spins, the brothers slip losing balance, allowing the spinning dog to strike dead center on the brothers...




Kiba and Akamaru

Chapter 204: "Ukon's Abilities" – The brothers are ripped in half and Soutourou comes to a stop. Kiba is shocked to see both brothers rise from the ground, forming back their needed body halves. They try one final spin, using their sense of smell to locate the hiding brothers. The brothers draw blood and slam the ground summoning Rashoumon, a gigantic door said to be Orochimaru's ultimate defense. Soutourou strikes it and falls back hurt to the earth below. The brothers jump to strike but the Henge drops, and Akamaru takes the strike for Kiba after urinating into Sakon's eyes. Kiba looks around, unable to find Ukon. Suddenly Ukon's head emerges from Kiba's shoulder. Kiba moves to strike him but Ukon's arm emerges to hold him. Ukon gloats how his power is used for assassination, to rearrange the targets internal cells while he remains okay. Kiba takes quick action, pulling a kunai and stabbing himself in the gut, stating they can both die together...




Sound Four

Chapter 205: "Kiba's Decision!!" – Ukon is surprised by Kiba's actions. Kiba strikes his stomach again and Ukon bails from the Leaf ninja's body. Kiba throws the kunai and Ukon goes to block, giving Kiba a chance to throw smoke bombs and hide. Ukon emerges from the smoke to see Akamaru's motionless body on the ground. Walking towards it the body explodes in a hail of Kunai. Further down the riverbank, Kiba holds Akamaru and says he did well. Ukon curses they Leaf ninja's escape and walks over to the river where his brother is washing out his eyes. Ukon tells him to kill the two while he rests inside Sakon's body. In the field Kimimaro uses "dance" style attacks to emit bones and quickly strike and disperse the clones. Wave after wave pour in and the Sound ninja effortlessly wipes them out.




Orochimaru

Chapter 206: "Crisis...!!" – The extended bones retreat into his body and Kimimaro lowers his shirt. Reaching to his shoulder he pulls out his humerus and a forearm bone to form a hard bone sword. The shoulder wound heals and Naruto begins launching shuriken. Kimimaro easily bats them away with the sword. Kimimaro states he has mastered five dances to maximize his abilities. As the container begins to emit steam, a furious Naruto ignores Kimimaro's boasts and states he will crush him. In the gorge Kiba states they're losing lots of blood. He is surprised suddenly by a smell of persons coming their way. He grabs Akamaru and tries to flee but weakly collapses. Sakon makes his way in their direction. Seeing Kiba's coat he rushes to attack, to find it left behind. The disturbed ground reveals the Leaf ninja fled to the water to float downstream in the river. In the forest Shikamaru complements Tayuya's ability to manipulate the oni. He thinks over how the melody must control them, but he is out of luck because he can't read the notes at all. Suddenly the music changes and the oni launch a new attack.




Nara Shikamaru

Chapter 207: "The Game is Up" –The oni fly in and their sewn mouths rip open to emit spectral ghosts. They fly after Shikamaru and bite through his arm, pulling away at his spectral chakra. Shikamaru quickly drops an explosive notes and hides after the explosion. He surmises they ghosts feed on chakra. He begins to formulate a plan and then counts his remaining equipment. Adopting his thinking pose, he awaits Tayuya's move. The oni come rushing in and Shikamaru moves, hurling kunai with explosive tags attached in various directions. As they explode Tayuya moves to avoid the destruction, the oni move as well. The kunai keep flying, moving the pieces into position. One kunai lands above Tayuya with a ball attached by string. With a final kunai the string on the ball is cut away and the ball falls. Shikamaru then does some gloating on his own; saying the great thing about shogi is using your opponent’s pieces as your own. The ball explodes in a deluge of light and with a "Kage Mane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru now controls the oni. Tayuya can't believe it and Shikamaru states he can't read the notes, but he could read the finger movements.




Haruno Sakura

Chapter 208: "The First Hand is a Feint!!" – Tayuya states that is impossible but Shikamaru begins to break down what movements control what actions. He then sends the oni after Tayuya, but she quickly raises a hand seal and disperses them into nothingness. Tayuya smiles but suddenly freezes, bound by Shikamaru's winding shadow. Snaking through the tree limbs he caught her from behind with his feint. Tayuya is enraged and enters her level two form. She uses her immense chakra to break the hold. Shikamaru buckles down and states he'll have to try a different method. Forming a new seal he uses a shadow neck binding technique, shadow hands begin to creep up Tayuya's body. The Sound ninja raises her flute and plays a Genjutsu spell. Shikamaru throws a kunai at Tayuya's feet and gets bound in the spell. Shikamaru is in a hellish world where his bones melt off his skin. Tayuya gloats her level two form gives her access to a ton of Genjutsu spells. She picks up the kunai at her feet and charges to kill her opponent. Just then Shikamaru raises up to punch her in the stomach, revealing how he used his shadow to break his finger to cause enough pain to break the spell. Shikamaru then reveals his final move, that the shadow bind is stronger in closer combat. To the surprise of Tayuya she realizes the kunai was thrown just so she would grab it to get within his striking distance!

[Ace Akau]

Sakon da ownage..